


you'll bring me home

by slytherincosette



Series: you've walked all these miles (and now you're in the right place) [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Family Feels, Gen, Good Brother Ben Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Reunions, adopted siblings are still siblings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, essentially five comes back at 17 instead of 58, no incest!!!!!!!!!!!, purely platonic love!!!!!!!!, so many people asked for a pt 2 i just had to, won't make much sense without reading the first part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 11:42:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18151427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherincosette/pseuds/slytherincosette
Summary: “Holy shit,” Diego says, shell-shocked and faint.Ben frowns, nudges him forward a bit, watches Klaus pour tea into a chipped mug that used to Five’s favorite. Then Allison gasps, and Ben’s attention is pulled to the table where--where, holy fuck,Fiveis sitting. He’s wrapped up in Vanya’s pale blue comforter, hunched in on himself, shivering. He’s clearly older than Ben remembers, but his eyes are exhausted, reflecting trauma and horror beyond his seventeen years. His hair hangs in his face, curling at the ends. He offers a strained half-smile, says, “Hey, guys.”-a continuation of "leave the light on" aka the rest of the hargreeves siblings get to reunite with five.





	you'll bring me home

**Author's Note:**

> so many of you wanted to see the rest of the reunion, so i wrote it (mostly because i will use any excuse to write these dumbass kids loving each other) this time, have some ben point of view. i fuckin love ben. my angel baby. title from harry styles' "sweet creature"

Ben wakes up to Klaus screaming and banging on his door.

This is not in itself unusual. Sometimes, it’s because Klaus is having a bad trip, or he wants Ben to sneak out with him, or he’s seen a particularly gruesome looking dead person. Most of the time, it’s because he’s bored and wants Ben’s attention. 

Ben usually doesn’t mind, but it’s the middle of the goddamn night and Ben _just_ fell asleep. Asshole. 

(Klaus is so lucky he’s Ben’s favorite.)

“Ben! Ben, _wake up!_ ”

Ben throws a pillow in the general direction of where Klaus probably is, mutters, “I _am_ awake, thanks to you. Now piss off.” He pulls the covers back over his head, the warm air suffocating but quiet. 

That is, until Klaus mercilessly rips the blanket off of him and yells, “Benjamin! Up!”

“Oh my god, Klaus, _what?_ ”

Klaus’ face appears over Ben’s, frantic but happy. It’s a strange combination, one that Ben’s not used to. To be completely honest, Ben isn’t really sure he remembers the last time he could describe one of Klaus’ expressions as _happy._

“I have the best surprise ever,” Klaus says, very seriously, “and you need to come with me right now.”

His face is only inches away from Ben’s, and his breath smells like peanut butter. “It can’t wait til morning?” Ben asks, exasperated. A last ditch effort. He already knows the answer because this is _Klaus_ he’s talking about, but still. It never hurts to try.

“It can absolutely no wait until tomorrow morning,” Klaus says, “It can’t even wait another minute, if I’m going to be totally real with you. Which, of course, I always am.”

Ben groans loudly and disentangles himself from his sheets, grumbling the whole way. His bare feet pad across the carpet, old floors creaking underneath him. He very nearly walks into his desk because it’s dark and he’s half asleep and Klaus is shit at leading anyone anywhere on a good day, let alone when he’s practically vibrating from excitement.

Ben blinks, lets his eyes adjust to the light of the hallway. A little farther down, he can hear Vanya waking Allison with much more gentleness than Ben was afforded. Luther is already exiting his room, scratching at his head and yawning. He shoots Ben a confused look and Ben only shrugs in reply, gestures vaguely at Klaus. Luther nods like he gets it, although Ben doubts he actually does.

Klaus launches into Diego’s room, throwing himself on top of their sleeping brother and yelling, “Diego, my dearest brother! Well, my dearest brother after Ben. I don’t play favorites, but you know, it’s _Ben_ \--”

“Klaus, this better be good,” Diego growls, just as Vanya leads Allison out her room.

“It’s better than good. It’s the best thing ever. Please come downstairs,” Klaus says, and he sounds so painfully sincere that even Luther looks convinced. Diego sighs and grumbles but does what Klaus asks, which, Ben thinks, is basically a metaphor for their whole relationship.

Klaus leads them down the stairs, through the foyer. Ben can see the lights on in the kitchen. It’s not surprising, because Vanya usually leaves them on for Five. Which is--God, it’s so depressing. Ben misses Five more than he will ever admit. The tea kettle whistles and Klaus runs to get it, leaving the rest of his siblings to walk single file into the basement. Ben just barely notices the peanut butter on the counter, the marshmallows scattered across the table, before he’s walking straight into Diego’s back.

“Holy shit,” Diego says, shell-shocked and faint. 

Ben frowns, nudges him forward a bit, watches Klaus pour tea into a chipped mug that used to Five’s favorite. Then Allison gasps, and Ben’s attention is pulled to the table where--where, holy fuck, _Five_ is sitting. He’s wrapped up in Vanya’s pale blue comforter, hunched in on himself, shivering. He’s clearly older than Ben remembers, but his eyes are exhausted, reflecting trauma and horror beyond his seventeen years. His hair hangs in his face, curling at the ends. He offers a strained half-smile, says, “Hey, guys.”

Ben stumbles closer to the table, unbridled, like there’s an invisible string tugging him forward. Five’s tired eyes lock into his, and Ben struggles to speak under the weight of the sheer relief he feels at seeing his brother alive. “Five,” he manages, “You’re here.”

“Solid deduction skills, Ben,” Five says.

“Oh, fuck off,” Ben laughs, tears stinging in his eyes. Five stands up, and he’s so fucking thin, God, where did he go? What has he been through?

Ben takes a few steps forward, terrified that one wrong move will make Five disappear. He’s had dreams like this before. He knows how they end; with Five gone again, never having been there in the first place. Ben reaches out, touches Five’s shoulder. He doesn’t vanish into thin air, doesn’t fade away. Just makes a choked little noise in the back of his throat, says, “I’m sorry.”

And Ben, well. Ben throws his arms around Five’s thin frame, and he holds on tight. Five was never a hugger, was never big on physical contact. Now, though, he bunches his fists into the back of Ben’s tee shirt, presses his forehead into Ben’s shoulder like he’s trying to fuse them together. He’s shaking, and it takes Ben a second to realize that Five is crying. Strong, stoic Five, always ready with a superior smirk and an insult that could take you out at the knees. 

Five, who was always kind to Ben, who always did his best to include Vanya. Who would jump into the mausoleum when Klaus was locked up and just sit with his brother. Who, as fast-paced as he was, always waited for Diego to get his sentence out, stutter or no.

Five, who fractured their family irreparably when he left. 

“I didn’t mean to leave,” Five chokes out, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay,” Ben whispers, rubbing circles into his brother’s back, “It’s okay, Five, it’s okay. I’m just so glad you’re back.”

Strong arms wrap around the both of them, and Ben looks up to see Diego, eyes glassy, resting his head on top of Five’s. A second later, Allison attaches herself to Five’s other side, arms wrapped tight around his waist and face pressed into his shoulder. Luther hovers behind them, unsure and just out of reach.

Klaus sets the tea on the table, one arm flung around Vanya’s shoulders. “We’ve got the band back together,” he says, sighing happily. After a moment’s hesitation, Vanya lets herself lean against Klaus. Ben beams at her over Five’s head.

Five’s the first to pull away, wiping at his face with the back of his sleeve. Allison stays wrapped around his middle, unwilling to let go. Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly, considering he’d allowed the group hug at all), Five settles an arm around her shoulders and squeezes. He’s taller, Ben realizes, almost as tall as Klaus. Allison only just reaches his chin. It makes something in Ben ache, seeing his brother look so different and knowing that he grew up without them.

Luther clears his throat. “It’s good to see you again, Five. Welcome home.”

Five nods, swallows thickly. “Thanks. I--” He breaks himself off, blinks a few times. “I just...I need you guys to know that I tried everything I could to get back to you.”

Klaus comes forward, presses the mug of tea into Five’s free hand with a rare show of gentleness. “Where…” Klaus pauses, eyebrows furrowing, “Where did you go?”

Five kind of curls in on himself, eyes trained on the floor. Allison watches him nervously, fingers twisting in the fabric of his beat-up flannel. He seems to weigh his words for a few moments, so different than the split-second decision maker Ben is used to. When he finally speaks, his voice is rough, like the words scratched at his throat on their way out. “The future. It’s shit, by the way.”

“Dad told you not to time travel,” Luther says, sighing heavily. Exasperation seeps into every word, and he shakes his head like Five is some kind of insolent toddler instead of their _brother_ who has clearly been through more than anyone should have to handle.

“Oh, fuck off, Luther,” Diego snaps, stepping protectively in front of Five, “Our brother is essentially back from the dead and you’re more concerned with the fact that he disobeyed Dad?”

“Well if he’d just listened in the first place--”

“I fucked up, okay?” Five says, and Ben is horrified to hear his voice crack. “I fucked up, I know I did, you don’t have to keep rubbing it in my face. Christ. Fuck this, I’m going to bed--”

He tries to extract himself from Allison’s vice grip, but she only holds on tighter, says, “Five, please.” Five stills at her words. Satisfied, she levels Luther with a glare that could bring even the strongest man to his knees. “You, shut up. Can’t you see he’s been through enough?”

“Let’s just sit, yeah?” Vanya offers, eyes darting nervously between Allison and Luther. She looks to Ben, who nods encouragingly. Vanya squares her shoulders, adds, “If anyone has anything negative to say to Five, you can leave.”

Luther ducks his head. Ben moves forward, starts to shuffle Five back into his seat. He settles Vanya’s comforter around Five’s shoulders, lets his hand drop lightly into Five’s hair. Five leans into the touch, just a little, and grumbles about how he’s not an _invalid_ , Ben, he can fix his own blanket.

Ben never thought he’d be so grateful to hear his brother complain.

The rest of their siblings settle around Five’s end of the table, as close as they can get to their long lost brother short of sitting in his literal lap, because while Five has been uncharacteristically touchy tonight, Ben figures he probably has his limits. Vanya holds tight to one of Five’s hands, asks, “Do you want to tell us what happened?”

Five sighs, lets his head drop into his free hand. “No,” he says, and he sounds exhausted, “But I suppose I have to.” Vanya squeezes his hand, and Five smiles at her appreciatively. It drops off his face quickly, too quickly. “The world ends in thirteen years.”

“Sh-shit,” Diego says.

“I jumped forward in time, and everything was just...gone. There was no one left. You were--you were all dead,” Five squeezes his eyes shut, clenches his free hand into a fist. “I found you in the rubble of the Academy. I had to bury you.”

“Oh, God,” Allison says, and there are tears streaming down her cheeks, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry you had to do that.”

Five nods, mostly to himself. He runs a hand down his face, fighting to keep his emotions at bay. “I lived in a wasteland for four years. I had nothing, and no one. If this, getting back here, hadn’t worked, I think I might have just let myself starve to death. Call it a day.” He lets out a humorless laugh, and Ben feels a wave of anguish wash over him. “I spent every day trying to get back to you all. To warn you, or even just to hear your voices one last time as the world went up into flames.”

Ben settles his hand on the back of Five’s neck, squeezes lightly. “You’re here now. You’re safe, we’re all here with you, and we’ll never let anything like that happen to you again,” he says, trying to keep his voice sounding as sure as he feels. He’s not going to let a goddamn thing touch his brother, and the monsters in his chest rumble in agreement.

“Whatever happens,” Vanya says softly, “Whatever happens, we’ll face it together.”

“As a family,” Klaus adds, draping himself over Ben’s back and smacking a wet kiss to his temple. Five scoffs, shakes his head. Klaus leans over, ruffles at Five’s hair. “Oh, please. You missed us.”

“I did,” Five says quietly, “Every day.”

“Sappy motherfucker,” Diego says fondly.

Ben watches Five flick some tea in Diego’s direction, smirking under his blanket. Watches Vanya laugh, and Allison smile, and Luther snort. He leans back into Klaus’ warm weight, feels Klaus’ bony chin dig into the top of his head, and finally, _finally_ allows himself to feel whole again.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed it! let me know what u think :)


End file.
